Small sample sizes can leave observers with a lot of question marks, and that is definitely the case with the Yellowknife Wraiths. After an 8-6 record in Season One, in which they led the NSFC in point differential, things seemed to be looking up in Yellowknife. A dominant 3-1 preseason only seemed to confirm that the Wraiths were a lock to make the playoffs, and a 2-0 start had fans all over the league talking about them as an Ultimus contender. That talk has…softened since then.
A Week 3 road loss to the Yeti, their main conference rival, would hardly be anything to be concerned about. After all, road games are tough, with teams in Season One averaging around a 30% chance of victory. And they’d beaten the Yeti at home, so this simply seemed to be a classic case of rivals splitting a series, a common occurrence in pro football. However, the 14 point loss seemed a bit too one-sided a victory, especially since the highly-touted Wraiths offense only managed 3 points throughout the entire game. More importantly, Colorado had now “won” the series, as the Yeti had a lead in point differential over the Wraiths.
Spirits were moderately lifted with a 17-7 road win, keeping the Wraiths above .500 after 4 games. Once again, though, the offense didn’t exactly amaze. 17 points may seem a respectable performance, until you realize that the Wraiths forced 6 punts and 4 interceptions. In fourteen possessions, two of which started at first and goal, how did Orosz and the Wraiths offense really only put up 17 points? Additionally, all 17 of those points were scored in the first ten and a half minutes of the game. To add salt to the wound, the game was only two weeks after the Yeti had demolished the Legion 33-3. Once again, the Yeti won the point differential battle.
Almost all positive feelings were destroyed by a 21-10 loss to Arizona. Once again, the Wraiths offense had 14 possessions, and once again, they came away from most empty-handed, or worse. After almost 22 minutes with the score tied 0-0, Chris Orosz looked to Damien West, who had been something of a secret weapon so far in the season, with most defenses lacking in both preparation and depth to handle him. Arizona, however, was NOT “most defenses.” Ryan Flock saw the play developing and jumped the route, taking it all the way into the Wraiths end zone for the first score of the game. It would only get worse, as the very next snap would result in a second interception, this one to Season One Defensive Player of the Year Isiah Rashad. Rather than return it for a second touchdown, Rashad was stopped on the 1 yard line. The touchdown came two plays later, on a one yard pass to Tuck, Jr. On the next possession, a quick three and out would result in the Outlaws starting their drive on the Wraiths 44 yard line and quickly marching down for a third straight touchdown. In the span of five and a half minutes, the Outlaws had scored three touchdowns, and their offense had only needed 45 yards to do it.
After five games, the Wraiths are 3-2, but the numbers inspire a lot less confidence. In total point differential, the Wraiths currently sit sixth place. Only the Legion and the Liberty are faring worse. Even the Otters, who are 2-3, have a slightly better point differential. The Yellowknife offense is ranked 5th in yards gained, and 7th in points scored. Additionally, a recent Football Insiders article listed the Yellowknife team as the second-worst in improving their on-field talent since the preseason.
Is there any hope in Yellowknife? Actually, quite a bit. Despite their struggles, this is a team still holding on to a winning record, and they have plenty of reasons not to be. For one, despite the offense struggling to make effective use of all their weapons, the defense is surprisingly competent, sitting 4th in yards allowed and 3rd in points allowed. In addition, out of the four teams with a winning record, the Wraiths have faced the hardest schedule based on opponent win/loss against other opponents. The best thing they may have going for them, though, is their schedule. They’ve played three of their five games on the road, and their next three are on the road as well. If they can win even one more road game (and Baltimore and Philly will both give them a chance), then the Wraiths will find themselves at 4-4 with five home games and only one road game remaining. I think a lot of teams would say yes to that situation.
((783 words))
Graded
Payout=$1,183,000
A Week 3 road loss to the Yeti, their main conference rival, would hardly be anything to be concerned about. After all, road games are tough, with teams in Season One averaging around a 30% chance of victory. And they’d beaten the Yeti at home, so this simply seemed to be a classic case of rivals splitting a series, a common occurrence in pro football. However, the 14 point loss seemed a bit too one-sided a victory, especially since the highly-touted Wraiths offense only managed 3 points throughout the entire game. More importantly, Colorado had now “won” the series, as the Yeti had a lead in point differential over the Wraiths.
Spirits were moderately lifted with a 17-7 road win, keeping the Wraiths above .500 after 4 games. Once again, though, the offense didn’t exactly amaze. 17 points may seem a respectable performance, until you realize that the Wraiths forced 6 punts and 4 interceptions. In fourteen possessions, two of which started at first and goal, how did Orosz and the Wraiths offense really only put up 17 points? Additionally, all 17 of those points were scored in the first ten and a half minutes of the game. To add salt to the wound, the game was only two weeks after the Yeti had demolished the Legion 33-3. Once again, the Yeti won the point differential battle.
Almost all positive feelings were destroyed by a 21-10 loss to Arizona. Once again, the Wraiths offense had 14 possessions, and once again, they came away from most empty-handed, or worse. After almost 22 minutes with the score tied 0-0, Chris Orosz looked to Damien West, who had been something of a secret weapon so far in the season, with most defenses lacking in both preparation and depth to handle him. Arizona, however, was NOT “most defenses.” Ryan Flock saw the play developing and jumped the route, taking it all the way into the Wraiths end zone for the first score of the game. It would only get worse, as the very next snap would result in a second interception, this one to Season One Defensive Player of the Year Isiah Rashad. Rather than return it for a second touchdown, Rashad was stopped on the 1 yard line. The touchdown came two plays later, on a one yard pass to Tuck, Jr. On the next possession, a quick three and out would result in the Outlaws starting their drive on the Wraiths 44 yard line and quickly marching down for a third straight touchdown. In the span of five and a half minutes, the Outlaws had scored three touchdowns, and their offense had only needed 45 yards to do it.
After five games, the Wraiths are 3-2, but the numbers inspire a lot less confidence. In total point differential, the Wraiths currently sit sixth place. Only the Legion and the Liberty are faring worse. Even the Otters, who are 2-3, have a slightly better point differential. The Yellowknife offense is ranked 5th in yards gained, and 7th in points scored. Additionally, a recent Football Insiders article listed the Yellowknife team as the second-worst in improving their on-field talent since the preseason.
Is there any hope in Yellowknife? Actually, quite a bit. Despite their struggles, this is a team still holding on to a winning record, and they have plenty of reasons not to be. For one, despite the offense struggling to make effective use of all their weapons, the defense is surprisingly competent, sitting 4th in yards allowed and 3rd in points allowed. In addition, out of the four teams with a winning record, the Wraiths have faced the hardest schedule based on opponent win/loss against other opponents. The best thing they may have going for them, though, is their schedule. They’ve played three of their five games on the road, and their next three are on the road as well. If they can win even one more road game (and Baltimore and Philly will both give them a chance), then the Wraiths will find themselves at 4-4 with five home games and only one road game remaining. I think a lot of teams would say yes to that situation.
((783 words))
Graded
Payout=$1,183,000
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